Chime clock



w, E. PORTER.

CHIME CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I5, 1922.

1,437,01 2. a t N v- 28, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Vlll/l/I/IA W. E. PORTER.

CHIME CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, I922.

1,437,01 2. Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

' in chime clocks, the 0b chime Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILSON E. PORTER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO NEW HAVEN CLOCK CO., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

CHIME CLOCK.

Application filed June 15, 1922. Serial No. 568,420.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILSON E. PORTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Chime Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent in 4 Fig. 1 a view in front elevation of a chime clock constructed in accordance with my invention, with the parts in the position due to them when the chime-train is locked as it is between the quarter hours.

Fig. 2 a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 a rear view thereof, with all the parts removed except the chime count- Wheel, its oscillating guard-disk and the chime locking-lever.

Fig. 4 a broken, enlarged detail view, showing the chime count-wheel, its guarddisk and the chime locking-lever, the said parts being shown in the positions due to themat the beginning of the chiming on the third quarter of the hour.

Fig. 5 a corresponding view, showing the same parts in the position due to them at the conclusion of the chiming on the third quarter of the hour.

F ig. 6 a detached, perspective view of the count-wheel.

"Fig. 7 a corresponding view of the oscillating chime count-wheel guard-disk.

Fig. 8 a detached, perspective view of the chime locking-lever.

Fig. 9 a corresponding view of the chime stop-lever.

Fig. 10 a corresponding view of the chime warning-lever.

Fig. 11 a corresponding view of the chime-warning and chime-releasing pinwheel, mounted upon and driven by the center arbor of the time-train.

Fig. 12, a detail sectional view, showing the mode of mounting the chime count-wheel and guard-disk.

My invention relates to an improvement 'ect being to rovide simple, reliable, and e cient means f dr'synchronizing the time and chime trainsthereof, in case the same should be thrown out of unison, as not infrequently happens, as'by the failure to wind them seasonably, by setting the hands or pointers of the clock for ward or backward, etc, the particular object of my invention being to reduce to the minimum the number of parts required for restoring the timeand chime-trains to unison.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a chime clock having one of the guard-fingers of its oscillating chime countwheel guard-disk made longer than the three other fingers thereof, and the corresponding high point of one of the four high-points of the chime-control wheel driven by the timetrain, made correspondingly higher than the three other hi h points thereof, whereby, in case of the dislocation of the time-and chime trains, the latter is not released until the former has brought the highest point of the time-control wheel into play for co-action with the longest finer of the guard-disk.

My invention furt er consists in certain detalls of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, as herein shown, I make the hour guard-finger 15 of the oscillating count-wheel guard-disk 16 longer than the other three fingers thereof, these (which are of equal length) being the one-quarter hour guard-fingers 17, the onehalf hour guard-finger 18 and the threequarter hour guard-finger 19. The chime count-wheel 20 has the forward end of its hour chime-dwell 21 extended to form a sustaining-abutment 22 corresponding in extra height to the extra length of the guard-finger 15 aforesaid, and, therefore, projecting beyond the center of the wheel further than the one-quarter hour chime-dwell 23, the one-half hour chime-dwell 24 and the three-quarter hour chime-dwell 25. The said four chimedwells 21, 23, 24 and 25, which progressively increase in length as required, are separated from each other by stop-notches 26, 27, 28 and 29. As shown, the chime count-wheel 20 is staked to a hub 30 mounted upon the end of the arbor 31 of the third wheel of the chime-train, which may be of any suitable construction and arrangement and does not, therefore, call for detailed illustration, or description. The said hub 30 is formed with pin 35 connected by a spring 36 with the stoppin 34, the normal tendency of the said spring being to automatically turn the guardalisk by a quick movement thereof and so restore it to its normal or guarding position, in which. its several guard-fingers register with the stop-notches 26,27, 28 and 29 ofthe chime count-wheel 20.

The said guard-fingers of the disk 16 and the chime-dwells and stop-notches of the count-wheel 20 couct with the locking-finger 37 Off a bowed chime count-lever 38 fixed upon the projecting rear end of a rock-shaft 39 extending at. its ends through the rear movement-plate 40 and the i rontmovementplate 41 of the clock-movement. The projecting forward end of the said rock-shaft 39 mounts a chime stop-lever 42 located in front of the front movement-plate and provided at its opposite end with a stop-pin 43 enacting with a stop 44 mounted 'upon'the front end of the fan-shaft 45 of the chimetrain, the said step beinp located adjacent to the front edge of a fan 46 on the said shaft. v

The said stop-lever 42 is lifted for its'operation by a chime warningdever 47 located directly beneath it, hung upon a stud 48 in the front movementplate 41 and 'hunishedwith a downwardly extending operating-arm 49 having a beveled end 50 coacting with our rearwardly projecting pins 51, 52. 53 and 54 in a chime-control wheel or disk 55 mounted upon the projecting forward end of the center arbor 56 of the time train. The said pins 51, 52, 53 and 54 are arranged quartering with respect to each other, but the pin 51, which is the'hour pin, is set out beyond the circle of the other pins, in order to give this particular pin a greater throw than the pins 52, 53 and 54, which are'respectively the one-quarter hour, one-half hour and three-quarter hour pins. The said pin 51, with its greater throw than the other pins, complements the surplus length of the guardfinger 15 of the disk 16 and the greater height of the sustainingabutment 22 of the count-wheel 20. The said pins are, in effect, high o 3erating-points, with one higher than the others, to secure a greater throw or lift than the others to the lever 38, the finger 37 of which coacts directly with the wheel 20 and the disk 16.

The chime stop-lever 42is provided with a helical spring 58 exerting a constant eiiort to draw the said lever down into itsnormal position, in which it restrains the chimetrain. The timetrain may also be of any approved construction and arrangement and does not call for particular description or illustration.

Supposing the timeand chime-trains of my improved chime clock to be synchronized, the pins 51, 52, 53 and 54 will, in the diurnal revolution of the wheel 55, by the time-train, operate through the levers 4-7 and 42 to warn and release the chime-train, and, at the same'time, to lift the finger 37 of the chime count-lever 38 out of the several stop-notches oi? the count-wheel 20, and so as to permit the several guard-fingers of the disk 16 to be snapped under it and thus provide for the regular and appropriate chiming of'the clock on the hour and on the quarter hours.

Then the clock 1s so operating, the pin 51 in the wheel 55 will function to give supplemental or excessive throw to the levers'47, 42 and 38, to compensate for the extra length of the guard-finger 15, and

permit the spring 36 to snap the said finger under the lower edge of the finger 37 of the eountlever 38, so that the said finger may ride over-the sustaining-abutment 22 of the hour dwell 21 and thence onto the said dw ll proper.

Now let it be assumed that for some cause or other,-and it does not matter what, the timeand chime-trains have been thrown out of synchronism and dislocated. For the sake of illustration, it may be assumed that the chiming mechanism with respect to the positions of its count-wheel and guard-disk, is one-quarter of an hour ahead of the pointers of the clock, and, therefore, a quar ter of an hour ahead of the position of the chime-control wheel. 55, which is driven by the time-train, as stated.

Under the conditions thus predicated, the clock will chime the one-quarter hour on the hour; the half-hour on the quarter hour; and the three-quarter-hour on the half-hour, but the hour can never be chimed out of time. The described irregular chiming of the hour, half-hour and three-quarter hour has been elfected by the pins 52, 53 and 54 in the wheel 55. At the termination of the next fifteen minutes, the time-train will have brought the pin 54 into position "for releasing the chime-t am to sound the hour in the supposed dislocated relation of the chimeand time-trains, but the pin 54 falls short of having enough throw to effect the lift ing of the count-lever 38 sufficiently to permit the elongated guard finger 15 of the disk 16 to snap under it and sustain it and so .permit'the chime-train to run and chime the hour; so that, although the chime-train has been warned and momentarily started, it

has not'been allowed to run because the finger 37 has dropped back into'the notch 26 and thus allowedthe chime stop-lever 42,

drawn back into its normal position, in which its stop-pin 43 engages the stop 44 on the fan-shaft 45. These quarter-hour attempts to release the chime-train will thereafter be ineffectual until the hour pin 51, with its longer throw has been brought into engagement with the beveled end 50 of the arm 49 of the chime warning-lever 47, which, at this time, will be sufficiently lifted to correspondingly lift the levers 42 and 38 and so lift the finger 37 sufliciently to permit the elongated finger to snap under it and sustain it and the stop-pin 43 in position to permit the chime-train to run and only once or twice out of time, depending upon the degree of initial derangement.

Thus, by so simple an expedient as lengthening the hour guard-finger of the oscillating guard-disk and correspondingly increasing the throw of the hour-pin of the chime-control wheel, or member driven by the time-train, I am enabled to surmount the difiiculties incident to the dislocation of the time and chime-trains of chime clocks of the character to which my invention relates.

In the particular embodiment of my invention chosen for illustration, the hour guard-finger has been chosen for elongation and the hour-pin positioned to efi'ect a longer throw, but, obviously, any other finger and its complementary pin may be chosen, if desired.

I claim:

1. In a chime clock, the combination with a chime count-wheel driven by the chimetrain of the clock, of an oscillating guarddisk located adjacent to the said count-wheel and provided with four guard-fingers, one

of which is elongated, a chime count-lever coacting with the said wheel and disk, a chime-control wheel driven by the timetrain of the clock and having four operating-points, one of which is set outward to complement the elongated finger of the guard-disk, and operating connections between the said chime-control wheel and count-lever.

2. In a chime clock, the combination with a chime count-wheel driven by the chimetrain of the clock, and having four chime-1 dwells separated by four stop-notches, of an oscillating guard-disk located adjacent to the said wheel and having four guard-fingers arranged to complement the said notches, one of the said fingers being longer than the others, a chime count-lever coacting with the said wheel and disk, a chime-control wheel driven by the time-train of the clock, and provided with four pins, one of which is set outward beyond the others to com lement the elongated finger of the guard-disk, and operating connections between the said chime-control wheel and said lever.

3. In a chime clock, the combination with a chime count-Wheel driven by the chimetrain of the clock and formed with four chime-dwells separated by four stop-notches, one of the said dwells being formed at its forward end with a sustaining-abutment, of an oscillating guard-disk located adjacent to the said wheel and formed with four guardfingers complementing the said stop-notches, one of the said fingers being elongated and coacting with the said sustaining-abutment, a chime count-lever coacting with the said wheel and disk, a chime-control wheel driven, by the time-train of the clock and provided with four operating-pins, one of which is set outward to complement the elongated finger of the said disk, and operating connections between the said ins and lever.

In testimony w ereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILSON E. PORTER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE DUDLEY SEYMOUR, MALCOLM P. NIoHoLs. 

